Indian Nuns Are Teaching Women Kung Fu To Fight Off Rapists

Buddhist nuns residing in India’s remote Himalayan region, Ladakh, has offered to teach women the art of Kung Fu to defend themselves from potential rapists.

“Most people think nuns just sit and pray, but we do more. We walk the talk. If we act, people will think: ’If nuns can act, why can’t we?’” the 19-year-old Drukpa nun and Kung Fu trainer/master, Jigme Wangchuk Lhamo, told Reuters while resting after her training session with the students.

In 2013 alone, the number of rape cases reported have gone up to 33,707 from 24,923 official cases in 2012, based on data collected and released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). It continued to increase to 34,651 in 2015, which is a 43% rise from the number of cases recorded starting in 2011.

Activists believe that the final numbers could be higher, as many are still afraid to step forward and report the incident.

Despite the media and government’s efforts to increase awareness regarding this issue, the number of rape cases in India is slowly rising, and a lot of women are getting increasingly worried about their own safety while they are out on the streets, walking to and from school, or riding public transportation.

The Drukpa nuns saw this as an opportunity to empower women and teach them how to defend themselves.

Women who attended the five-day workshop were taught how to handle and counter attacks from behind by doing takedowns and striking. They were also taught how to react to every possible sexual assault scenarios they may encounter.

While learning how to defend yourself is empowering, the process may not be as thrilling; it involves a rigorous schedule that starts at 6 a.m. and ends at 9 p.m.

Not only do the nuns teach everyone Kung Fu, they also deliver lectures that teach people the importance of diversity and tolerance, BBC reported.

Featured Image via Wikimedia Commons / The Star Online (Right) / Drukpa Publications (Left) (CC BY-SA 3.0), YouTube

Share this Article